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Final reports from the 窪蹋勛圖厙s task forces on antisemitism and Islamophobia were released Tuesday. The task forces were established by 窪蹋勛圖厙 President Ana Mari Cauce on March 7, 2024, with the goal of assessing how students, faculty and staff are experiencing discrimination or harassment because they are Jewish and/or Palestinian, Middle Eastern or Muslim on our campus, and to what degree they feel the climate is supportive and welcoming.

Researchers from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 have discovered a new way to help liquid flow in only one direction, but without using the flaps that engines and our circulatory system rely upon to prevent fluid backup. The team built a flexible pipe with an interior helical structure inspired by the anatomy of shark intestines creating a prototype inspired by biology but with applications in engineering and medicine.

Every year, undergraduates at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 start their college experience, often in cavernous classrooms, learning alongside dozens, if not hundreds, of their peers. Research shows that taking these courses some prerequisites and other classes on popular topics can make students feel isolated, scared and not up to the task.

In just eight years, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Population Health Initiative has funded 227 innovative, interdisciplinary projects. With the Initiative now a third of the way into its 25-year vision, 窪蹋勛圖厙 News checked in with three projects that recently received funding to scale their efforts.

Scientists have discovered the cuisine preferences of two resident killer whale populations, also known as orcas: the Alaska residents and the southern residents, which reside primarily in the Salish Sea and off the coast of Washington, British Columbia, Oregon and northern California. The two populations show broad preference for salmon, particularly Chinook, chum and coho. But they differ in when they switch to hunting and eating different salmon species, as well as the other fish species they pursue to supplement their diets. This information could aid conservation efforts for southern resident killer whales, which remain critically endangered due to pollution, loss of salmon habitat and other human-caused factors that disrupt their hunting and reproductive capabilities.

Mild fall temperatures this week helped welcome the first group of students who moved into 窪蹋勛圖厙 residence halls and apartments. More than 10,000 students are expected to live in 窪蹋勛圖厙 housing this year, including more than 77.5% of the freshman class. This years incoming class is expected to be around 7,150, according to preliminary information.

窪蹋勛圖厙 researchers have developed a flexible, durable electronic prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity that can be used to power small electronics, such as batteries, sensors or LEDs. This device is also resilient it still functions even after being pierced several times and then stretched 2,000 times.

New research led by the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has revealed how underwater noise produced by humans may help explain why southern resident orca populations have not recovered from historic lows. In a paper published Sept. 10 in Global Change Biology, the team reports that underwater noise pollution from both large and small vessels forces northern and southern resident orcas to expend more time and energy hunting for fish. The din also lowers the overall success of their hunting efforts. Noise from ships likely has an outsized impact on southern resident orca pods, which spend more time in parts of the Salish Sea with high ship traffic.

New research from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 found lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents. This maturation was more pronounced in girls. When measured in terms of the number of years of accelerated brain development, the mean acceleration was 4.2 years in females and 1.4 years in males.

An international team led by researchers at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 has uncovered surprising details about mosquito mating, which could lead to improved malaria control techniques and even help develop precision drone flight. In a paper published Aug. 30 in the journal Current Biology, the team revealed that when a male Anopheles coluzzii mosquito hears the sound of female-specific wingbeats, his eyes activate and he visually scans the immediate vicinity for a potential mate.

NASAs upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will look for fossils of galaxy formation by conducting high-resolution imaging studies. Through a grant from NASA, astronomers are designing a set of possible observations called RINGS the Roman Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey that would collect these images, and the team is producing publicly available tools that the astronomy community can use once Roman launches and starts collecting data.

The overlap between humans and animals will increase substantially across much of the planet in less than 50 years due to human population growth and climate change, according to a collaborative study by scientists at the University of Michigan, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and University College London. By 2070, the overlap between humans and more than 22,000 vertebrate species will rise across nearly 57% of Earths land, according to the team.

Pack Ventures, a new venture capital fund that is collaborating with the 窪蹋勛圖厙, aims to help entrepreneurs launch new innovations and grow startups that emerge across the 窪蹋勛圖厙, while also giving Husky alumni access to investment opportunities.

The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water in seven U.S. states and Mexico. But since 2000, water managers have struggled to predict how much water will come from the snowpack. The problem lies with the lack of rainfall in the spring, according to new research from the 窪蹋勛圖厙.

A new study has found galaxies with more neighbors tend to be larger than their counterparts that have a similar shape and mass, but reside in less dense environments. In a paper published Aug. 14 in the Astrophysical Journal, the team, which used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze millions of galaxies, reports that galaxies found in denser regions of the universe are as much as 25% larger than isolated galaxies. The findings resolve a long-standing debate among astrophysicists over the relationship between a galaxys size and its environment, but also raise new questions about how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years.

In a survey of 315 people conducted by researchers at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and Georgetown University, respondents largely found creating and sharing sexually explicit deepfakes unacceptable. But far fewer respondents strongly opposed seeking out these media. Previous research has shown that other people viewing non-AI image-based abuse harms the victims significantly.

After more than two decades with the 窪蹋勛圖厙, Vice President Randy Hodgins announced today that he will step down from his role leading the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Office of External Affairs and retire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. During his upcoming final year as Vice President, Hodgins said he will remain committed to advancing the Universitys mission and ensuring a smooth transition.

New research from Ione Fine and Geoffrey Boynton, 窪蹋勛圖厙 professors of psychology, shows Elon Musks projection for the latest Neuralink project rests on the flawed premise that implanting millions of tiny electrodes into the visual cortex, the region of the brain that processes information received from the eye, will result in high-resolution vision.

窪蹋勛圖厙 researchers investigated how iBuyers companies that use automated algorithms to quickly buy and sell homes have affected the well-documented racial bias against Black home sellers. Looking at Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, they found that on average iBuyers paid more equal prices to Black and white home sellers than individual buyers, largely because iBuyers paid white sellers significantly less on average than an individual buyer. They also discovered that iBuyers were significantly more likely to resell homes to institutions, such as large rental companies thatve been tied to high eviction rates and rent-gouging.

Wolves returned to Washington state in 2008. A new study shows that, despite their rising numbers, wolves are not having much of an impact on white-tailed deer, one of their primary prey. In a paper published June 18 in Ecological Applications, scientists from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife report that the biggest factor shaping white-tailed deer populations in northeast Washington is the quality of habitat available, which is largely determined by human activity. Cougars were second in their impact. Wolves were a distant third.

窪蹋勛圖厙 researchers found that ChatGPT consistently ranked resumes with disability-related honors and credentials such as the Tom Wilson Disability Leadership Award lower than the same resumes without those honors and credentials. But when researchers customized the tool with written instructions directing it not to be ableist, the tool reduced this bias for all but one of the disabilities tested.

窪蹋勛圖厙 President Ana Mari Cauce announced Wednesday that she will step down from her leadership role at the conclusion of her second five-year term in June 2025 a transition that has been planned for several years with the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Board of Regents and return to her faculty position. In her upcoming final year in office, Cauce said she is committed to advancing the work of the 窪蹋勛圖厙 and ensuring a smooth transition.

More than 7,000 窪蹋勛圖厙 graduates of the Class of 2024 plan to participate in the June 8 ceremony for 窪蹋勛圖厙 Seattle. Officials expect about 40,000 family and friends to cheer the graduates from the Husky Stadium grandstands. 窪蹋勛圖厙 Tacoma will hold its commencement June 7; 窪蹋勛圖厙 Bothells graduation ceremonies are June 9. 窪蹋勛圖厙 President Ana Mari Cauce will present 18,006 degrees to the Class of 2024 across all three 窪蹋勛圖厙 campuses ceremonies.

As the academic school year comes to an end, many students will continue their studies by packing a suitcase and heading overseas.

窪蹋勛圖厙 3,000 窪蹋勛圖厙 students will study abroad this school year, a number that surpasses the previous high set in 2018-2019. That means study abroad participation is back to pre-pandemic levels. 窪蹋勛圖厙 leaders say these programs promise profound experiences and lifelong memories. and new research shows that college students who study abroad are more likely to graduate.

We asked one 11-year-old how hed feel if his favorite book series was written by AI instead of an author, and he said it would dismantle the joy of reading for him. We often don’t think about kids having these deep, existential questions about what it means to be an artist, said Michele Newman, a 窪蹋勛圖厙 doctoral student in the Information School.

A 窪蹋勛圖厙 team has developed an artificial intelligence system that lets someone wearing headphones look at a person speaking for three to five seconds to enroll them. The system then plays just the enrolled speakers voice in real time, even as the pair move around in noisy environments.

Spending time in nature is good for us. And knowing more about natures effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems and design cities, homes and parks. Many studies have focused on how seeing nature affects us. A team of scientists from around the world wants to understand what the nose knows. They are calling for more research into how odors and scents from natural settings impact our health and well-being.

A project led by the 窪蹋勛圖厙 to better understand our atmospheres complexity is a finalist for NASAs next generation of Earth-observing satellites. STRIVE will receive $5 million to conduct a one-year concept study, and then will hear whether it is selected for launch.